Background information on our approach as well as general information on learning, pedagogics, and science
When children are first learning how to read and write, they make the same mistakes at varying degrees of frequency. For most children, the mistakes decrease in frequency after a short time and are eventually eliminated altogether.
At least one in ten children experience difficulty with reading or spelling, a condition also known as “dyslexia”. This manifests itself in a variety of characteristics and ways. Dyslexia is caused mainly by irregularities in the development of the brain.
Art has the power to bring people together, regardless of skin colour, gender identity, politics, language, and other factors that may keep us divided. Moreover, it can make an impact on a person’s life as art can contribute to one’s overall development and happiness.
Around one in five children are thought to have dyslexia, and up to 90% of children with learning difficulties have it. Children with dyslexia can struggle with areas such as reading, sequencing and ordering sounds, and reading, but one area they can shine in and enjoy is music.
A growing body of evidence is pointing to the importance of early intervention for children with dyslexia.
It’s a vicious cycle. When faced with a number problem you are gripped by anxiety or panic. Clearly, these feelings are no good so you go out of your way to avoid number problems as much as possible. This leads to your becoming less and less “good at math” and the feelings of anxiety increase. Round and round you go until your math anxiety has become a fact of life for you.
Plenty of dyslexics can empathise with reading anxiety or a phobia related to reading. This anxiety is marked by a student’s avoidance of reading, feelings of dread when asked to read, and general disbelief in her or his own ability to read.
Dyscalculia: even the term sounds unfamiliar. Many people with dyscalculia might not even know the condition exists. Instead, they may just think they have difficulty with math, or that anything with numbers is a struggle for them.
The earlier dyslexia is diagnosed, the sooner intervention can help children overcome their learning difficulties. This list from the Dybuster website shows that early symptoms may include difficulty with: